THE END. X GCDS MILANO COLLECTION

Since being founded in 2015 by Giulano and Giordano Calza, GCDS has been carving its own space in the contemporary fashion world, reshaping luxury through an energetic, irreverent and playful lens. The Milanese label is steadfast in its commitment to colouring outside of the lines, creating garments imbued with an experimental approach to colour, materials and details. It’s an approach that’s led GCDS to capture the contemporary zeitgeist, counting an ever-growing number of A-list followers as devoted advocates. Beyond just the label’s exuberant creative vision is a meticulous approach to the products it creates, whether it be the razor-sharp approach to the finer details or ensuring all craft is local to its Milanese base. What results is a label that finely balances the youthful energy of streetwear with the more serious, premium side of luxury fashion.

To coincide with the opening of our ground-breaking Milano flagship, END. has partnered with the city’s very own GCDS for an exclusive collection. The collection, which is comprised of 10 pieces spanning both men’s and womenswear, showcases the bold energy at the core of the Milanese label. It’s made up of an array of clothing and accessories, ranging from a fleece hoody and bucket hat to a mesh top and co-branded baseball cap. The collection’s palette adheres to GCDS’ vibrant aesthetic, too, with the label’s favourite purple featuring throughout. To celebrate our new Milano flagship and GCDS’ ties to the city, a bespoke, co-branded logo is used throughout the collection, with “END. Milano” combined with “GCDS” in the label’s distinctive scrawl.

To showcase the exclusive collection, END. and GCDS tapped into the Milanese audiovisual creative collective and record label, Funclab, shining a light on a selection of artists who form a part of it. The first is Evissimax, an up and coming Italo-Nigerian DJ based in Milan, who describes her creative approach as “thinking of creating a space where people can have fun, jump around, feel free and open minded in order to let it go”. Evissimax’s DJing style represents a seamless “blend of different genres, cultures and subcultures all woven together”, with inspiration drawn from her “personal history and journey, family and friends and everything that I’ve experienced up to this day”.

Michael Mills was born in Parma from Ghanian parents. In 2021 he published "Chiaro", his first record with Deepho, in which he produced almost every track. In 2022 his first solo EP "Hot Wheels" came out on La Tempesta Dischi, preceding his first album "Acufene", published on Funclab Records and La Tempesta as a co-edition. His production can be described as a fusion of hip-hop and electronic music, an outcome Michael states comes about subconsciously: “there's no actual modus operandi in what I do, my music is the natural outcome of a continuous research for sounds, atmospheres and emotions, channelled into jazz, trap and ambient soundscapes".

Bimbo Kermit is an Art Director, illustrator and Graphic Designer based in Milan, who spends the majority of his time “drawing, painting or making wild installations”. On what first introduced him to illustrating and painting, he said “I started doing graffiti when I was younger, around 13 years old. When I started studying Graphic Design in University, I really got into the illustration world”. When it comes to where Bimbo Kermit draws inspiration, he states it “usually comes from ironic ideas, word associations or by seeing something peculiar around me and responding to it”.

Prev is a producer, sound designer and DJ based in Milan, with a sound heavily derived from sample-based hip hop from the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. When asked about who is biggest influences are, Prev regards hip-hop legends as his original muses: “I was initially influenced by producers such as Madlib and J Dilla, but it’s now evolved into a more digital and modern type of hip hop — heading towards Injury Reserve or Shabazz Palaces”. On how it feels to be a part of a collective like Funclab, Prev said “Funclab basically saved my life. If I hadn’t met these guys god knows what I’d be doing — probably still working as a waiter in my hometown. They gave me a way to fully express myself through music whilst working in an environment I love. Looking back, I realise how lucky I’ve been since that first party in 2018”.